The Spanish alphabet is a great place to start learning Spanish. In this guide, you’ll review each letter, its name, approximate pronunciation, an example Spanish word, and its English meaning.
You can also download our free printable Spanish alphabet PDF to review the letters and practice offline.
Download the free Spanish alphabet PDF for a simple reference you can print or use offline while you practice.
The Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters: five vowels and twenty-two consonants. It uses the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, plus Ñ (ñ), which is a separate letter in Spanish.
You may also see the letter combinations CH, LL, and RR in Spanish words. These are not separate letters in the modern Spanish alphabet. CH and LL were historically treated as individual letters for alphabetization, while RR represents a distinct sound but has not been considered a separate letter.
Spanish also uses written accent marks in some words to show stress or distinguish between words that would otherwise be spelled the same.
The table below shows each letter’s name, approximate pronunciation, example word, English meaning, and pronunciation notes.
For more help with how Spanish letters and words sound in real speech, explore our Spanish pronunciation lessons.
Pronunciation note: The approximate letter names below use common Latin American pronunciation. Letter names and letter sounds can vary by region, especially in Spain.
Important: The pronunciation column describes the name of each letter. It does not necessarily represent the sound that the letter makes inside a Spanish word.
| Letter | Letter name | Approximate pronunciation of letter name | Example word | English meaning | Sound or regional note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a | ah | araña | spider | The vowel A has a clear, consistent sound similar to the a in “father.” |
| B b | be | beh | bueno | good | B and V are generally pronounced similarly in Spanish. |
| C c | ce | seh | calor | heat | In Latin America, the letter name generally begins with an S-like sound. In much of Spain, it begins with a “th”-like sound. In words, C before A, O, or U usually has a K-like sound; before E or I, pronunciation varies by region. |
| D d | de | deh | diente | tooth | The D sound is often softer than the English D, especially between vowels. |
| E e | e | eh | escuela | school | E generally has a short, clear vowel sound. |
| F f | efe | eh-feh | falda | skirt | F is generally similar to the English F sound. |
| G g | ge | heh | gato | cat | The letter name and the sound G makes inside words are different concepts. In words, its sound changes depending on the vowel that follows it. |
| H h | hache | ah-cheh | hora | hour | H is normally silent in Spanish words. |
| I i | i | ee | isla | island | I generally has a sound similar to “ee” in English “see.” |
| J j | jota | ho-tah | jardín | garden | J commonly represents a strong breathy or throaty sound that does not exactly match the English H. |
| K k | ka | kah | kilogramo | kilogram | K appears mainly in words borrowed from other languages. |
| L l | ele | eh-leh | libro | book | L is generally similar to the English L sound. |
| M m | eme | eh-meh | martes | Tuesday | M is generally similar to the English M sound. |
| N n | ene | eh-neh | noche | night | N is generally similar to the English N sound. |
| Ñ ñ | eñe | eh-nyeh | niño | boy | Ñ is a separate Spanish letter. Its sound is similar to the “ny” sound in English “canyon.” |
| O o | o | oh | oso | bear | O generally has a short, clear vowel sound. |
| P p | pe | peh | persona | person | P is similar to English P but is generally pronounced with less aspiration. |
| Q q | cu | koo | queso | cheese | Q normally appears as QU before E or I; the U is generally silent in these combinations. |
| R r | erre | eh-rreh | rojo | red | R may be tapped or trilled depending on its position in a word. |
| S s | ese | eh-seh | sonido | sound | S is generally similar to the S in English “see,” though regional variation exists. |
| T t | te | teh | tomar | to take | Spanish T is typically pronounced with the tongue closer to the teeth than English T. |
| U u | u | oo | uva | grape | U generally has a sound similar to “oo” in English “food.” |
| V v | uve | oo-veh | ver | to see | B and V are generally pronounced similarly in Spanish. |
| W w | uve doble | oo-veh doh-bleh | wifi | Wi-Fi | The name of W varies by region. Along with uve doble, names such as doble uve, doble ve, and doble u are used. W occurs mainly in loanwords. |
| X x | equis | eh-kees | taxi | taxi | X commonly represents a KS-like sound, though some words and names use other pronunciations. |
| Y y | ye | yeh | yegua | mare | Ye is the modern recommended letter name; the traditional name i griega is also widely recognized. The sound represented by Y varies by region. |
| Z z | zeta | seh-tah | zapato | shoe | The approximation shown reflects common Latin American pronunciation. In much of Spain, the first sound in the letter name and Z in words is commonly pronounced with a “th”-like sound. |
The modern Spanish alphabet has 27 letters. Ñ is its own letter and comes after N. You may see CH and LL listed separately in older Spanish dictionaries or alphabet guides, but today they are treated as digraphs rather than individual letters.
Use the example words above to start recognizing the letters in real Spanish. You can also review more Spanish vocabulary words as you build your reading skills.
A language’s alphabet is its building blocks. Learning the Spanish alphabet gives you a foundation for recognizing words, reading Spanish, and understanding how written Spanish relates to pronunciation.
Once you start recognizing letters and words, you can begin reading simple Spanish and building your vocabulary. Even learning the basics of the alphabet can make unfamiliar Spanish words easier to approach
Knowing the alphabet can also help with pronunciation. Learning how letters are named and how their sounds behave in words makes it easier to notice patterns when you listen to and read Spanish.
Mastering the Spanish alphabet gives you a solid foundation for developing your reading, writing, vocabulary, and pronunciation skills.
Read on for practical ways to learn and remember the Spanish alphabet.
When you are learning the Spanish alphabet from scratch, a few simple memory and practice techniques can make the process easier.
Here are several ways to memorize the Spanish alphabet and become more comfortable reading and writing Spanish letters.
Can you still remember your childhood alphabet song in your own language? Music and repetition can also help you remember the Spanish alphabet. Find a recording and practice saying or singing the letters along with it. Repeat it out loud until the sequence becomes familiar.
Instead of trying to memorize everything at once, focus on a few letters at a time. Practice recognizing their names, sounds, and example words before moving on.
Look for the letters in books, signs, subtitles, websites, and other places where you encounter written Spanish.
Writing the letters by hand gives you another way to practice recognizing and remembering them. Use a notebook or the printable Spanish worksheet and practice a few letters each day.
As you write each letter, say its name aloud. Once you are comfortable with individual letters, begin writing simple Spanish words that use them.
Try tracing large Spanish letters with your finger, writing them in the air, or drawing them on a large surface. Combining movement with seeing and saying the letters can give you another way to reinforce what you are learning.
Connect unfamiliar letter names or sounds with words, images, or examples that are easy for you to remember. The example Spanish words in the alphabet chart above can give you a starting point.
Once individual letters become familiar, start writing simple Spanish words. Practice reading the words aloud and identifying the letters and sounds you have learned.
I am teaching a friend Spanish. This will be very helpful. Thanks
Hola EspañolMaestro,
Thank you for your comment.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by your comment.
It's just how languages work.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Hola yo soy EspañolMaestro. mucho gusto, I searched up maestro. I'm confused how can you write words with just the alphabet? And how can you know what words sound like without seeing them?
Hola Daniel Shalev,
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, and there is only one Spanish alphabet.
Sigamos practicando.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Look I will be honest- these all lessons of phonetics arent good at all , is isnt organized in a table of letters and IPA , plus there is no option for the pronounciation of these letters here on your site(IN MEXICAN SPANISH ofc... )I'm really lost , I dont know where can I find a simple table with the letters and their corresponding sounds in mexican spanish ...
Are these pages teaching the Spanish alphabet of the Mexican Spanish ?
Hola Daniel Shalev,
Thank you for your comment.
Please review the following pathway in phonetics.
https://www.spanishpod101.com/lesson-library/phonetics-lessons
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Hi , I want to ask my question also regarding the R after N,L,S letters , and even to ask you directly another question - does in mexican spanish it is always trilled R after these letters ?
Please let me know the answer to my question in the previous message , and in this message regarding my direct question , whic by the way I want to know the answer to my first question , and to this one REGARDING ALL LETTERS WHICH HAVE FEW SOUNDS IN MEXICAN SPANISH, I will really appreciate of you will have to finally understand a priper answer to my questions after a long time of not knowing this basic rules .
I will mention another last point: I have no money at all to pay for a teacher , I can only learn for free.
Hi , important question of me in mexican spanish : I want to know something in the spanish pronunciation of few letters : D,B,V,G - are the sounds of them after when they are in the beginning of an utterance/sentence after N&L(for D),and M(for B&G) are automatically "HARD" (strong) sounds because it is considered pretty difficult to pronounce them other way? By other way I mean B&V in spanish as a sound somewhere between ENGLISH B & V (β) ? I ask the same for D as English th in the word then , and spanish G as soft G ? I really sruggle to know how to pronounce each sounds every time, and I'm really don't know where to learn it ... in spanish groups on facebook they (very surprisingly) have no idea what to say to me and I have no other choice to learn it anywhere else ...
Hi David,
Thanks for taking the time to write to us.👍
I am glad to hear that you found this list helpful.❤️ I hope you like the rest of our series. 😊
Please don't hesitate to contact us if any questions arise throughout your studies. We would be happy to help you!
Cheers,
Ali
Team SpanishPod101.com